1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a method for playing a card game, and in particular relates to a method for playing a modified blackjack card game.
2. Description of the Related Art
Blackjack is a card game enjoyed by millions of people throughout the world. The game of blackjack is played with a deck of playing cards, each card having either a letter (A, J, Q, or K), or a number ranging between two and ten, and each card further being characterized by a symbol of one of four suits (clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds) present in the deck of cards. During a game of blackjack, the players place their bets, and then the dealer deals a “hand” of two cards to each of the players and to the dealer. If the numerical value of the player's hand is greater than the numerical value of the dealer's hand, but less than or equal to a numerical value of twenty-one, the player wins the game, and the dealer must pay the player an amount equivalent to the bet of the player or twice the bet of the player, depending on the exact nature of the player's hand. If the player and the dealer have hands having equivalent numerical values, neither the dealer nor the player wins the game. Although blackjack is a tremendously popular and exciting casino game for millions of players, it has several notable limitations. In particular, in a standard game of blackjack, when the dealer has dealt a player a second card, the player is “stuck” with that card, and must decide whether to take a third, additional card based on the combined numerical value of the first two cards. This feature unduly limits the choices of the players. Moreover, the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and cards having the number “ten” thereupon are all of equivalent numerical value. This feature of a standard game of blackjack results in a large number of tied games, which makes for a less interesting and exciting card game. Accordingly, there is a need for a method for playing a modified blackjack card game utilizing a standard deck of cards, wherein after the dealer has dealt a player a second card, the player can have the dealer replace the second card with a new second card, for an amount equal to a portion of the player's bet, and preferably one-half of the player's bet, thereby giving the player more choices in the game, and wherein the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and cards having the number “ten” thereupon have an “actual value” which is different from their numerical value of ten, in order to resolve a tie between the dealer and the players, thereby making the game more interesting and exciting.
A variety of games based upon a deck of playing cards have been devised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,314 to Stavinsky appears to show a method for playing a card game where players make wagers of money and plays against the dealer to determine whether the player wins or loses the wager. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,310 to English appears to show a method of playing a casino-type of wagering card game. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,396 to Eaton et al appears to show a method of playing a wagering game with a deck of numerical cards and a table layout for playing the game. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,125 to Lizak appears to show a game of chance comprising Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks, along with at least one numerical card. What's more, U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,880 to Addabbo appears to show a card game comprised of specialized card decks and methods of play. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,645 to Yuan appears to show a method of play for a casino card game.
While these methods for playing card games may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.